Gloucester Library hosts "African-American Trailblazers" exhibit

The Gloucester County Public Library is hosting a Library of Virginia traveling display called "African-American Trailblazers in Virginia History" from Monday through April 15.

Gloucester native Irene Morgan is one of the featured Trailblazers in the exhibit, which honors eight distinguished Virginians of African descent who made significant contributions to the state and nation, according to a press release from the library.

The featured Trailblazers "offer powerful examples of individuals who refused to be defined by their circumstances," according to the press release. "Their biographies are a testament to the determination and perseverance displayed by extraordinary people during challenging times. Through education and advocacy, these individuals demonstrate how African-Americans have actively campaigned for better lives for themselves and their people. It is these many contributions that the African-American Trailblazers program seeks to share."

A program is planned for April 4 at 6 p.m. Dr. Dorothy Cooke will speak about Morgan and her ground-breaking Supreme Court case. In 1944, Morgan refused to give up her seat on a Greyhound bus to a white person and was arrested, though the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that Virginia's state law enforcing segregation on interstate buses was unconstitutional.

Another Trailblazer honoree, Dr. Michael Blakey, a professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary and director of the Institute for Historical Biology, will share remarks and pictures of his work.